Nung Bedell spotted
the invader blocking his drive home
Saturday night on Brighton Bay Boulevard
NE. It was 8 to 10 feet long, known
to strangle its prey, eat small animals
and make headlines.

It was a boa constrictor,
a non-native species of giant snake
let loose on the state's ecology by
irresponsible pet owners. This one was
the length of the southbound lane, and
in no rush to go anywhere.

State officials say
the entire species isn't going anywhere.
Florida already has thousands of such
boa constrictors and pythons and more
are breeding. It's not just the Everglades'
problem anymore.

"That's what blows
me away," Bedell said. "We
think this is just an Everglades issue?
We're talking about St. Pete."

Bedell called the St.
Petersburg Police Department. That led
to a standoff: man vs. reptile.

Surrounded by four officers
trying to corral it, the dormant snake
suddenly jolted to life and slithered
off into mangroves.

Bedell, a 38-year-old
engineer, knows the snakes have become
a big ,writhing mess in Florida. He
pointed to the July 1 death of a 2-year-old
Sumter County girl strangled by an 81/2-foot
pet Burmese python that got loose.

Scott Hardin, exotic
species coordinator for the Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission,
said that incident could explain why
the giant snake was seen in an urban
environment.

"Dollars to doughnuts
someone has dumped a pet because of
all the publicity surrounding the unfortunate
events in Sumter County," he said.

The St. Petersburg officers
had tried to call Pinellas County Animal
Services, Bedell said, but couldn't
get any help. Animal services said it
doesn't have a record of that request.

Animal services can
only do so much with a snake that big.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission said it needs to get the
call whenever a snake longer than 8
feet is found.

"Your average person
does not want to go ahead and deal with
snakes that size, especially not dangerous
ones," Hardin said. "It's
not for people who don't know what they're
doing or the faint of heart."

Try telling that to
Bedell. He's already gotten some pointers
from a professional trapper.

This town isn't big
enough for the both of them.

"I really don't
like snakes," he said. "I'm
determined to go out there and hunt
this thing down."

Jamal Thalji can be
reached at thalji@sptimes.com or (727)
893-8472.

Fast Facts

Got giant snakes?

Call the Florida Fish
and Wildlife Conservation Commission's
Lakeland office at (863) 648-3200 for
help during the day. Pasco County Animal
Services can help with some snakes at
(727) 582-2600. If you find one at night
and it's an emergency (say, it's in
your house) call your local law enforcement
agency for help.

Burmese
Python

Registered
and insured nuisance wildlife
trapper. Let me help
you with your Pythonproblems.

Boa
Constrictor

The
Trapper Guy is not a pest control
company. I do not
use poisons or service bugs or
rodents.